Notes to Self
by let.time.fly
Summary: Note to Self: Never agree to share an apartment with three other girls, no matter how broke you are. Because you'll be using the money you save to check yourself into rehab. And buying alcohol. Sakura-centric


_Note to Self:_ **Never** agree to share an apartment with three other girls, no matter how broke you are. Because you'll be using the money you save to check yourself into rehab. And buying alcohol.

* * *

"Who used my hairbrush?"

When a loud shriek echoed throughout the entire apartment, Sakura's eyes flew open with surprise. She shot out of bed to reach for her cell phone by the foot of her bed when she realized, with steadily growing resentment, she was now sharing an apartment with three girls who were rather territorial. For the past two weeks, Sakura had been woken up through the most unconventional methods, usually starting with a question and ending with a catfight. Yesterday, it was "who forgot to put the cap on my toothpaste?" and the morning before, it was "where are my contacts?". Sakura couldn't remember the last time she woke up peacefully.

The door flung open, revealing a thin blonde girl wrapped in a towel. Her hair was dripping all over the carpet, and the tainted brush was dangling from her hand. This girl was the reason Sakura was even in the apartment in the first place.

Sakura had come to Konoha two weeks before the university officially opened, with the intention of finding a cheap studio apartment instead of a dorm. When Sakura walked into Konoha University's Housing Assistance Office, she was immediately accosted by a frazzled blonde girl.

"Hi, can I help you?" The girl had asked.

"I'm looking for a one bedroom studio around the university." Sakura told her. The blonde girl's eyes gleamed when Sakura explained her circumstances, which was probably the first sign to run.

"I'm actually sharing a two bedroom apartment with two other girls. Are you interested?"

Sakura tried backing away politely. "Oh, well that sounds nice but I would prefer my own space-"

"I'm Ino!" The blonde girl interrupted to introduced herself. "Look, I totally get the whole privacy thing but we're kind of desperate. I'll tell you what, I'm barely going to be in the room during the day so if you share a room with me, you'll probably have the room to yourself. Are you a compulsive liar?"

"What?"

"A kleptomaniac?" Ino asked keenly.

"No?"

"A serial killer? Mass murderer? Any of the above?"

Sakura shook her head. "No."

"Fantastic!" Ino smiled at her. "Are you moving in today? I'll help you with your bags."

"Wait but I don't-"

Ino suddenly stopped trying to tug Sakura's suitcase out of her hand. "Hey, did you tell me your name?"

"No."

"Oh, sorry. You are?"

Sakura was unsure whether or not she should reveal so much information to her now supposed roommate. "Sakura Haruno."

"Cool. Let's go." Ino was already heading out of the office without even looking back to see if Sakura was following.

Sakura caught up with her when a thought occurred to her. "You do work here, right?"

Ino grinned. "Nope."

That was probably the second sign to run as fast as possible. Now Sakura was stuck waking up to the cry of a banshee every single day. She crawled back into bed and flung her blanket over her head. Within milliseconds, however, the blanket was flung off her body.

"Do you see this?" Ino brandished her brush into Sakura's face. Sakura swatted her away before sitting up.

"Do I see you sticking your brush in my face? Yes."

Ino sighed dramatically. "No, I mean the hair! Is it black or brown?"

"What?" Sakura squinted at the very few dark strands on the brush. "I don't know, brown?"

"I knew it!" Ino yelled as she raced out of the room. "Tenten, you used my brush?"

Tenten was one of the other girls who were sharing the apartment. Although she was a year older than Ino and Sakura, Tenten was also a starting freshman at Konoha University. Tenten had taken a year off to do fencing nationally, and was now studying at the university. Sakura had learned this through the very few conversations she had with the older girl.

"I didn't use your stupid brush!" Tenten snapped from the room across the hall. "Why the hell would I use yours?"

"Well there's brown hair on it, and there's only one person in this apartment with brown hair!"

Sakura was guessing that Ino had somehow found Tenten the same way she found Sakura, since there could not be two people more different than the two of them. And it was usually Tenten that Ino picked a fight with early in the morning. Tenten's roommate, Hinata, was as quiet and shy as a mouse. Sakura couldn't remember if she had ever had a conversation with the quiet girl, and if she did, it was most likely a passing hello. Sakura didn't know anything about her.

Ino stormed back into the room, her pale face a bright red. She slammed the door shut, and both girls could hear Tenten's door slam shut as well. Now that the morning fight was somewhat over, Sakura attempted to go back to sleep once more until she felt Ino sitting down on the foot of her bed.

"Hey, I was just wondering, is your hair real? Like, legitimately pink?" Ino said without a trace of the fury she was shaking with just thirty seconds ago.

"Yes."

"Cool. What did you say your major was?"

"Undecided."

Ino nodded understandingly. "Nice. Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Yes. His name is Let Me."

"Let Me?"

"Yes, and his last name is Go to Sleep. As in, let me go to sleep."

Ino poked Sakura's calf. "You don't like to talk much, do you?"

"Not at eight in the morning, no."

"Alrighty then." Ino got off the bed, leaving a damp patch on the sheets. "Are you into parties?"

"In the morning? No."

Ino laughed. "I can see that. I meant drinking and dancing. My friend's a host at this club and there's supposed to be this crazy rave tonight. But I don't want to go alone, you know?"

"Fine, but if you get too drunk to keep your clothes on, I'm not bringing you home."

"Done. I'll let you get back to your boyfriend."

But even after Ino left, Sakura couldn't go back to sleep. She laid in bed, wondering what it would be like if she had stayed in Suna. In Suna, she had no control over her life. People made decisions for her, and Sakura was expected to follow through. Sakura never would have had to go looking for an apartment or have an undecided field of study. This new freedom made Sakura anxious and giddy at the same time.

There was no use trying to fall asleep now. Sakura climbed out of bed and headed for the bathroom to take a shower. The tiled floor was wet, and the towel rack already held two very damp towels. Sakura placed her own pink towel on the back of the door and carefully maneuvered her way to the shower. Something that Sakura hadn't realized through her years of living alone was that girls came with a lot of products. In each corner of the shower were different shampoos, conditioners and body wash for each girl in the house. Even at the double sink counter , there were hairclips, hairties, hair-spray, brushes, and lotion scattered all around. It took five minutes to find her own products amongst the sea of everyone else's.

After a quick shower and getting dressed into a floral romper with a cardigan, Sakura set off for the university. There was still an hour until her first class began but Sakura liked leaving some time to have coffee and a cheese pastry at the cafeteria.

As Sakura locked up the door to the apartment, someone else from down the hall came out as well. He looked about her age, with a mess of blonde hair and shocking blue eyes. They both got to the elevator at the same time, and the boy smiled at her.

"Hey, are you living with Ino?"

Sakura nodded. "Her roommate."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Naruto." He held out a tanned hand.

Sakura shook it. "Sakura."

"Freshman at K.U?"

"Yes."

"That's awesome." Naruto beamed. "Where are you from?"

The elevator door opened, and Naruto motioned for Sakura to enter first. Sakura smiled faintly and pressed the button for the first floor. Naruto continued asking her questions all the way down.

"There's this awesome club you should come to tonight." Naruto mentioned casually. "If you give me your number I can text you the venue."

Sakura's lip twitched. "Thanks, but next time. I have plans for tonight."

"Aw." Naruto's face fell, like a little boy who lost his favorite toy. "Are you sure you can't come later?"

"Sorry." Sakura said without really meaning it. Naruto was cute, especially with his little boy expressions and way of speaking, but Sakura didn't like the idea of being party-friends with a guy on her apartment floor.

"Alright, then I guess I'll see you later. Bye, Sakura!" Naruto waved as he went in the opposite direction from campus. Sakura walked six blocks to the university, and headed straight for its main cafeteria building. Breakfast was just ending, but Sakura managed to snag a cheese Danish and a cup of coffee. There were no empty tables, but there was one table where the sole occupant was sleeping. Hoping he wouldn't wake up while she ate, Sakura settled down quietly and propped open a copy of Anne and the Green Gables.

Sakura's phone vibrated from inside her satchel, and the boy sleeping across from her twitched. Sakura silenced the phone before sliding her finger across the screen to see who had texted her. No one knew this number except for her roommates, and they were not yet close enough to text without a cause.

* * *

**From:** Tenten

Do you think you can buy some milk on the way home?

* * *

Sakura texted "yes" and deposited the phone back into her bag. The boy seemed to have sensed her presence and peeked out from under his arms. Sakura met his eyes and blinked twice. She held up her Danish and tried to explain with hand motions that she was going to leave after finishing her breakfast since her mouth was full. Sakura didn't know whether or not he understood but he returned to his original sleeping position.

"Aren't you a little old to be reading that?" A muffled voice suddenly said. The boy was speaking without looking at her, and Sakura was aware that he was talking to her.

"Aren't you a little old to be sleeping in strange places?" Sakura shot back.

He didn't move. "Anne of the Green Gables? No Pride and Prejudice? Jane Eyre? Wuthering Heights?"

Sakura scrunched her nose. "What, girls can't read anything other than nineteenth century romance novels?"

"They can, but they choose not to."

Sakura harrumphed before returning to her breakfast and coffee. The morning wasn't really starting off well but then again, her mornings at Konoha never seemed to go as she planned. There were still twenty minutes before class started, and she did not want to have to wait outside the classroom.

"You're not from around here." The mystery napper talked once more.

Sakura took a sip of coffee. "Nope. How did you know?"

"We had a small graduating class."

"And you would have known if there was a pink haired girl in your class."

"Basically."

There was another pause. "Didn't you say you'd leave after you finished that Danish?"

"I don't exactly have anywhere else to go."

"Huh."

"Yup. You're not going to kick me out or anything, right?"

The boy peeked out again. "Would you listen if I told you you were kicked out?"

Sakura smirked. "No, I would refuse."

"I don't think refusing is an option when someone's kicking you out."

"Shikamaru!" A loud voice echoed from the opposite side of the cafeteria. "Will the real Shikamaru please stand up?"

"Shit." The boy adjusted his cap and adjusted his arms so his entire face was hidden.

"Shikamaru!" A boy with brown hair and a red face paint continued calling out the name. Sakura prodded her tablemate's elbow.

"Is that you?"

He grunted. "Stop talking."

But even with Sakura not saying a word, his friend strolled up to the table and took Shikamaru into a headlock. "You can't hide from me! Even with a new lady friend." The boy winked at Sakura as he held on tight to his friend's neck. "Thanks for keeping him company. He tends to sneak off somewhere by himself like a loser."

"No problem." Sakura smiled at Shikamaru, who was actually quite good looking. With his cap off, his spiky hair resembled a porcupine. They would have made quite a pair if his hat was off, the girl with pink hair and the boy with a porcupine head.

"This is your fault." Shikamaru said to Sakura as his friend dragged him away.

Sakura smiled politely and waved. Now she could read her book in peace, and enjoy her coffee too. It was nice to have had someone to talk to, though. Even if he didn't show his face much and insulted her taste in books. Being alone in a city where she didn't know anyone made her feel a little lonely.

Of course, that wore off completely when Sakura walked into her classroom and was met with a loud "Sakura!". Before she could make her way to the back of the class where she always sat, Sakura was accosted by Naruto who dragged her to the front.

"I didn't know you were in Brain - A User's Guide!" Naruto exclaimed joyfully. "We can pull all-nighters together now."

"Oh boy." Sakura said half-heartedly.

"Sasuke, this is Sakura. Sakura, this is Sasuke." Naruto introduced. Sakura smiled, though it faded when she realized Sasuke wasn't even looking at her.

Naruto sat Sakura down next to his seat. "Are you taking this class for a requirement or for fun?"

"I'm interested in the brain, and I'm thinking of pre-med so both."

"That's cool. Sasuke's thinking of pre-med too, right bastard?"

"Hn."

Naruto smiled apologetically. "But his family's makes up pretty much all of Konoha's police squadron."

"Police?" Sakura leaned over to look at Sasuke. "Are you related to Itachi Uchiha?"

For the first time, Sasuke looked up at Sakura. His eyes were a deep black, and his face was practically flawless. Judging by the way his t-shirt sleeves clung to his biceps, Sasuke's body was as nice as his face. He was definitely an Uchiha. But the expression on his face was anything but attractive. "How do you know Itachi?"

"Mutual friends." Sakura shrugged. She leaned back, staring at the huge white screen right in front of her. Naruto chattered on incessantly, even as the professor came in and started the class. All throughout the class, Sakura kept imagining how life would have been so much easier if she had just come out of the apartment a little later or a little bit earlier. Naruto's voice was becoming a permanent addition to her ears. When the double period ended, Sakura was only too eager to get up and leave the classroom.

"Hey, Sakura!" Naruto called. "Did you change your mind about tonight?"

"Tonight?" Sakura asked blankly.

"The club!"

Sakura shook her head. "Oh sorry, I can't."

"Damn. What about lunch?"

"My class starts in ten minutes." Sakura shrugged apologetically. Naruto sincerely seemed to want to get to know her, and that made her feel a little guilty. "Rain check?"

Naruto's face brightened. "Sure!"

"Okay, I'll see you around."

"Aw alright, bye!" Naruto waved as Sasuke waited for him impatiently by the staircase. Girls were looking over their shoulders to ogle at the good-looking grump leaning against the stairwell banister. To be polite, Sakura waved to him as well before heading to the Texts and Ideas class down the hall. Before she could go inside, Sakura was pulled aside by a group of girls.

"Do you know that guy?" A girl with long red hair asked excitedly.

"Who?" Sakura was bewildered with the sudden interrogation. "What guy?"

Another girl shook Sakura's wrist. "The one with the black hair! He was standing by the staircase and looking at you."

"Oh." Of course, they were talking about Sasuke. "Him."

"Are you friends with him? Can you introduce us?" They formed a barrier around her so that she couldn't escape even if she tried. Sakura tried putting some space between herself and the girls, but they just pressed into her.

"No, I'm not friends with him and I'm pretty sure he's not into being friends with me, ever."

The girls recoiled, giving Sakura enough space to slip through and escape into the classroom. There were a far fewer number of students in this class but today, there was not a single person in the classroom. Maybe the people who lived in the dorms had caught some sort of infectious flu. Sakura glanced to look at the time, saw the board, and stopped in disbelief. In messy handwriting, the board read: "Gone Home. No Class Today".

"Are teachers allowed to do that?" Sakura scowled as she headed back outside. But there was no use being mad about being uninformed ahead of time - now she had the whole day to herself. Hoping Ino had not yet come home, Sakura went back to the apartment after a short stop at the grocery store for some milk.

Before she could even unlock the door fully, the door unlocked itself from the inside and flung open. Tenten, wearing a baggy blue jersey and cargo pants, was standing in front of her with an expectant look on her face. "Oh good, you bought the milk. At least someone in this apartment listens."

Sakura didn't know how to respond other than to hand the milk over. Tenten examined the dairy product as she let Sakura in before closing the door behind her. "Organic milk? Are you one of those health-conscious freaks with a food diary and everything?"

"Not exactly. I didn't know what kind you liked so I just bought the organic."

"Well good job. I only drink organic and two percent." Tenten drifted into the kitchen to do whatever she needed with the milk. Sakura went into her room and collapsed onto her bed. It was still early afternoon, but she had promised Ino that she would come with her to the party tonight and there was no guarantee how many hours she would be sleeping afterwards. Just as Sakura was about to change, a soft knock stopped her from unbuttoning her sweater.

"It's open."

Tenten opened the door. "I'm going to go for a run. Just a warning - you're not alone in the apartment. Hinata's here too, but she's so quiet you might forget. So don't walk around naked or dance on top of the table, okay?"

"Right, because those were the top two things I was planning on doing as soon as everyone left." Sakura nodded. "Thanks for the heads-up, I'll try to contain myself."

"Smart-ass. Just because you got the right milk, don't think you're top dog." Tenten closed the door with a bang. Once again, Sakura was left wondering what it would be like if she had just lived in the comfort of her own home.

There was another knock before Sakura could finish unbuttoning once more. "Don't worry, I'll do my naked dance in here!" Sakura called out.

"Um, it's me." A soft voice called out from outside.

"Who- oh, nevermind." Sakura marched to the door and opened it. Hinata stood in the doorway nervously, her petite figure encased in a pretty sailor dress. "Yes?"

Hinata looked like she was forcing herself to smile. "Sorry to bother you, but do you think you could, um, maybe...see I'm really allergic to some kinds of scents in products so if you could...your body wash?" Hinata mumbled with her head down so that Sakura couldn't hear some of the words she was saying.

"Sorry, I didn't really hear the last part. What about my body wash?"

Hinata turned bright red. "Nevermind, it's nothing. I'll just-"

"No, wait." Sakura tried to piece together what Hinata had said before. "You're allergic to...my body wash?"

"Yes." Hinata seemed relieved that Sakura had understood what she said.

"But I've been using it for the past two weeks." Sakura stepped back a little bit, having used the body wash just a few hours before. "Why didn't you tell me before?"

Hinata scuffed her Mary Janes on the floor and murmured something about "Not wanting to be a bother."

"Okay, well what are some scents you're not allergic to?"

"Um, as long as it's not lime, coconut, pineapple, or anything really exotic it's okay."

Sakura walked over to her closet and took out a bottle of body wash from the very bottom, where her extra supplies were. "Is Fresh Berry body wash okay?"

"It should be. I'm sorry." Hinata didn't once lift her head to look at Sakura directly.

"Hey, it's fine. I'll change it tomorrow then, okay?"

"Okay, thank you." Hinata slipped back into her own room before Sakura could say anything else. She could hear the creak in Hinata's mattress as the girl seemed to be beating herself silently over the very harmless conversation. With Tenten's brashness, Ino's perky yet terrifying mood changes, Hinata's shyness and what Sakura considered her cynic nature, there was definitely no balance within this apartment. However it was probably just as well that there were no hippie, "half-glass full" kind of girls staying with them. She doubted Tenten, Ino or Sakura herself could handle those kinds of people early in the morning. Ino screaming her lungs out was more than enough.

Something vibrated from her bed, and Sakura changed into an oversized t-shirt before climbing into bed and checking her phone. She kind of missed being texted everyday by the same people who loved her yet restricted her from doing anything on her own. This time, she saw the text was from her blonde roommate.

* * *

To: Sakura

Club at 9. Better be home by 8!

* * *

Sakura texted back:

* * *

To: Ino

Zzzz. Wake me up when you get home.

* * *

Sakura closed her eyes and hoped that Ino and Tenten would not be home for a long, long time. In the rare moment of peace and quiet, Sakura could hear a soft piano concerto playing from the other room. With the gentle piano playing in the background, Sakura managed to drift to sleep without fear of being woken up of a near heart-attack.


End file.
